Building structure



March 3, 1942.

B. F. ADAMS BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 8, 1957 grwwwk o Patented Mar. 3, 1942 BUILDING STRUCTURE Benjamin F. Adams, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 8,1937, Serial No. 173,401

Claims.

My invention relates to a building structure in which a hard surface covering is adhesively secured to a supporting base. my invention relates to a building structure embodying a hard surface floor covering including a stratum of partible fibrous material, a supporting base, and a layer of adhesive composition which in the finished structure forms a stratum effective for securing the partible stratum to the base, the structure being characterized by the effective securing properties of the adhesive-layer being inferior to the partible qualities of the stratum, whereby the floor covering may be securely attached to the base and removed therefrom without rupturing the partible stratum.

- In the installation of hard surface floor covering it has been customary to interpose a lining of heavy deadening felt or paper between the floor and the covering, particularly when the installation is made over wooden floors. Such practice relieves the covering from the direct application of stresses caused by shrinkage and More particularly,

stroying its value for reuse. If the partible stratum embodied in such floor covering is of a waterproof type, it is important that it be removeable as a whole, not only to preserve the value of the floor covering for reuse, but to facilitate the cleaning of the supporting base after such removal to receive whatever replacement covering is intended. In the absence of my invention, large areas of the supporting base have heretofore been covered by the portions of such waterproof strata disrupted from the body of the removed fioor covering, and the removal of these portions adhering to the supporting base is very difiicult since they respond to no cheap, readily available solvent and due to their waterproof characteristics the fibers are tenaciously expansion of the floor boards, and smooths out surface irregularities. According to the usual method of installation, a suitable adhesive is applied to the floor, a'solid sheet of deadening felt is laid thereon andthe covering is bonded to the upper surface of the deadening felt by means of a second layer of adhesive. The deadening felt, being structurally ,weak and of generally laminar stresses to the hard surface fioor covering, by theyielding of the felted fibers or the slippage between the laminations thereof. This type of installation permits readyremcval of the floor covering by rupturing the felt.

Hard surface fioor covering embodying a stratum of partible material, such for example as felt or felted material to which a decoration secured .to one another. and present a surface incapable of being rendered smooth by ordinary brushing. Mechanical methods of removing such undesirable portions left secured to the base are undesirable and expensive.

My invention has for its chief object to provide a building structure in which .a worn hard surface covering may be easily and efficientlyv removed from a base; and which removal will leave the base in satisfactory condition to receive a replacement covering. An object of my invention is to prevent excessive indentation of formation, permits the floor boards to, expand and contract without transmitting rupturing has'been applied superficially or incorporated by penetration, presents a problem different from that presented by linoleum, which embodies a strong burlap backing, in that whereas the burlap is strongerthan adhesives customarily employed for securing the linoleum to a supporting base, thev fibrous or felted stratum embodied in the other types of hard surface fioor covering does not possess such strength. It is not regarded as advantageous to employ deadening felt in the laying of the latter material, since the partible fibrous stratum is usually adequate to serve the purposes for which the deadening felt is emplayed. Accordingly, it is diflicult, if not impossible, to remove such floor covering without dethe wear surface of such installation.

A further object is to securely bond the covering to the base. A still further object is to provide an adhesive composition effective for bonding a hard surface covering including a stratum of partible fibrous material to a base, the composition being characterized by its effective securing properties being inferior to the partible qualities of the partible fibrous stratum.

The hard surface covering usable in connection a with my invention may comprise any of the avail able types of hard surface covering in which a decorative layer is laminated with a strain resisting fibrous sheet, whether or not such sheet be saturated or waterproofed, or may comprise any of the available types of hard surface coverings in which a watc'rproofed or saturated strain resisting sheet is coated with a decorative wear coating. My invention may also be used in connection with hard surface coverings in which a slieeted fibrous web forms the whole of the covering. Specific examples of such hard surface coverings are linoleum or other'drying oil compositions on saturated felt, printed felt base,-indus trial flooring comprising colored asphaltic coating on saturated felt sheets, floor covering made in accordance with Jackson Patents Nos.

1,729,832, 1,729,833, and Finley Patent No. 1,802,009, and the like. My invention contemplates that the securing properties of the adhesive composition are inferior to the partible qualities of the fibrous stratum, thatis, the partible fibrous stratum possesses greater resistance to tensile forces than the adhesive composition.

Preferably, my adhesive composition is formed as follows: I place approximately 1868 pounds of alcohol (denatured) in a horizontal type mixer and add 2132 pounds of acaroid resin thereto. The mass is agitated vigorously for three hours,

in which'time the greater part of the acaroid resin is dissolved; .a small portion of insoluble material remains in the solution. Preferably, the solution is strained to remove such insoluble material. To 3125 pounds of the strained solution, I add 1500-pounds of slate flour and thoroughly mix it therein. The composition may be placed in sealed containers until it is required for use, or it may be used immediately, as desired.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the use of acaroid resin as an adhesive material, it will be understood other resins, either natural or synthetic, may be used in its place, for example, shellac, rosin, Manila gum, glyptal resin, or the like. Other fillers may, of course, be substitutedfor the slate flour in whole or in part; other vehicles may be used in place of alcohol, if desired. The above composition may be varied as desired, bearing inmind,

that my invention consists in part in the com position possessing less resistance to tensile forces than the partible. fibrous stratum which it is adapted to bond to a base.

From experiments, I have determined certain definite limits of cohesion, within which. the required feature of ready removability is obtained. I have determined that limits of cohesion of 6 to pounds resistance are satisfactory. With hard surface covering 3 comprising a wearing surface 4 and a stratum of partible fibrous material 5, which may be saturated by a waterproofing compound, if desired, secured to the base 2 by the adhesive composition 6. I form my building structure in the following manner: First, I

prepare the base to receive a covering; that is,'

put in condition to receive a new covering by removing the adhesive composition remaining thereon and following the process described above. I have found, in many cases, that it is not essential to remove the adhesive composition remaining on the base since a good bond may be secured by merely placing another layer thereover and securing a covering thereto. Preferably, however, I remove the adhesive composition, since, in some cases, the composition is not spread sufficiently smooth to permit a second layer thereover.

As will be seen above, my invention contemplates a building structure in which a hard surface covering may be easily and .efi'icientlyremoved as a unit from the base, thus obviating excessive expense in removal due to large areas of greater tensile resistance than 30 pounds, the

composition is resistant to a degree to prevent ready removability of the covering; with tensile resistance less than 6 pounds, its securing properties are dangerously weak and the covering may be loosened from the base by severe traffic and excessive wear. The pull test hereafter referred to as the Scott test used to establish these limits may be carried on in the following manner:

To one side of a strip of wood 6" long by 2" wide a thin layer of adhesive applied, using a notched doctor blade to distribute the composition evenly over the entire surface. To the composition is immediately applied a strip of the hard surface covering 8" by 2" wide, one end of which is placed flush with one end of the strip of wood, the other end extending free beyond the .wood strip. After rolling to obtain a satisfactory bond between the wood and the covering, the

sample is maintained at normal room tempera-- ture for approximately four days to dry or set the adhesive. -The resistance of the adhesive to tensile forces is determined by placing the sample in a Scott tensile strength machine at right angles to the direction of the forces to be exerted. The strength of the forces recorded as the covering is removed from the wood strip measures the resistance of the adhesi"e to tensile forces.

In'the accompanying drawing illustrating my invention, there is shown a hard surface covering secured to a base; a corner of the covering being d to show the adhesive composition effective or bonding the covering to the base. Referring to the drawing, there is shown a base 2. and a the base being covered by portions of the waterproof strata disrupted fromthe body of the removed floor covering. The portions adhering to the base heretofore have been diflicultly removable involving a great deal of labor and expense. By my invention, the covering is' removed as a unit so that no excessive expenditures are necessary to prepare the base to receive another coverins;

A good bond between the base and covering is consistently obtainable. My covering is less expensive to install since it obviates the expense of a layer of deadening felt and a layer of adhesive as well as the cost of labor required to apply them.

While I have described and illustrated a pre- I ferred embodiment of my invention, it will re understood that it is not limited to such form, since it may be otherwise. embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

.1. In a building structure, a base, a hard surface covering embodying a stratum of partible fibrous material saturated with a moisture resistant substance, and a dried solidified rupturableadhesive which is resistant to tensile forces in the range of 6 to 30 pounds as determinedby the Scott test and is less resistant to tensile forces than said partible fibrous stratum permanently securing said covering in bonded relation directly to the base, whereby the covering maybe removed from the base by rupture of said adhesive without rupturing the partible stratum. v

*2. A building structure in accordance with claim 1 in which the stratum of partible fibrous material has a layer of wear resistant drying oil composition integral with the upper surface thereof which forms the wearing surface of said claim 1 in which the adhesive comprises the dried covering. and solidified residue oiacaroid resin, 2. filler and 3. A building structure in accordance with alcohol.

claim 1 in which the adhesive comprises the dried 5. A building structure in accordance I with and solidified residue of acaroid resin and 8. ve- 5 claim 1 in which the adhesive comprises acaroid hicle therefor. v v resin and a filler;

4. A- building structure in accord nce with BENJAMIN F. ADAMS. 

